Kobo is releasing a limited edition Aura One with 32GB of space on December 6th and it was designed to house your e-book, manga and PDF collections. This model is not available worldwide, but is only exclusively available for customers residing in the United States and Japan for $279.99. Will you purchase this new model?
The Aura One has many firsts, which is unique in the e-reader arena. It is the first large screen e-reader that Kobo has ever produced and also the first one to have Overdrive e-book lending built right into the bookstore. It was the first Kobo model to have the new RGB front-light system to give you warm and cooler options for the screen and finally the first unit to have 32GB of internal storage. It is also waterproof and has a glorious 300 PPI screen.
Kobo has a fervent following and many people are fiercely loyal. This is because the company releases at least two new models a year and their digital bookstore is the closest you can get to a true Amazon competitor. Kobo e-readers are great for advanced users because you can easily load in KOREADER or import in your own fonts. On the downside their PDF rendering engine needs serious work and their software is buggy at times.
Will Kobo find success in the limited edition Aura One? The cost might be a financial barrier to some people, $279 is about the same price as the new Kindle Oasis. Still, 32GB of storage is very compelling. Will you buy the limited edition Kobo Aura One?
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
